Once Upon A Prom Night
by thetwistedpumpkin
Summary: Emma is unsure of whether or not she's going to prom. With three eager and annoying young men itching to be her date, she'd rather stay at home. But when she learns that the girl she's been crushing on since forever, Regina Mills, would be going without a partner, she decides to change her mind, get the girl and give her the night of her life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm terribly sorry for deleting my stories. I was unable to update them due to my lack of free time and so I decided that removing them would be best. Thus, I would like to apologize to all of those who read, followed and favorited them. I hope I could make it up to you with this one. **

**Teenage Fanfic. Absolutely AU. No magic. No curse. Set in Storybrooke. I live in the Philippines so there's going to be a lot of inaccuracies due to tradition differences regarding prom so please, feel free to correct me. Thank you! **

_**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time is not mine.**_

* * *

"What about this?" Ruby asked, holding up the dress to her chest and flaunting it in front of the blonde.

"Yeah, looks nice," Emma answered nonchalantly.

"You said that about the last one, and the one before that...and the three other dresses I tried on at the previous shops we went to," Ruby huffed. "Ems, I know you don't want to go. But if you insist on being a brat while we look -or at least try to- for something I could wear, then I might as well not go either."

The pair -or rather just Ruby with Emma as companion- had been dress-hunting for hours now and due to the lack of desirable boutiques in the small town they lived in, the duo had found it quite difficult to find something remotely close to head-turning. Ruby was exhausted and Emma's lack of enthusiasm was adding assault to injury. The brunette's exasperated look, however, changed her friend's demeanor on the matter.

"What? No! Look Rubes, I'm sorry for being a complete ass right now but you can't not go after we pulled off that stunt to ask Belle as your date. And as for the dress, it's really pretty. But it would look a lot more beautiful if you'd wear it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So stop being a drama queen and go on ahead and buy it," Emma replied, grinning.

"Okay," Ruby answered. That was all she needed for her to take her wallet from her pocket and head for the counter. Ambling towards the cashier, she glanced back at her friend who was still looking at her, "What about you though? You sure you don't wanna go?" she asked for the nth time.

"Rubes, it's dancing and looking formally pretty in cocktail dresses and long gowns. The last time I went to a similar event, I gave my parents a heart attack. I think I'll pass."

"You went crazy that time Ems. I promise to keep you in check this time."

"It's the same as any other dance Rubes. What's so special about this one that's got you itching for me to go?"

"Ems," Ruby smiled, "it's prom."

* * *

The short drive from Granny's to Emma's family's apartment was slow and quiet. She had just dropped off Ruby and the trip home had given her some time to think about whether or not to reconsider her decision on not attending prom. It wasn't because she was anti-social, god knows she wasn't. And it wasn't because she didn't have a date. It was simply because she didn't want to go. It's not her thing, really. Sure, Emma was everyone's friend. She's nice and helpful and absolutely charming. She was a party-girl too, everybody knew that. Thinking about it now, prom _was_ Emma's thing. But the last time she went to a school dance, she got dragged into an after-party, ended up giving her virginity to her boyfriend and woke up half-naked on her bed with a massive hangover and with no recollections whatsoever of how she wound up with a tattoo on her wrist.

Reminiscing that unforgettable experience, Emma shook her head with complete distaste. Her parents had been so disappointed at her that her ever understanding mother wouldn't even talk to her for days. She got her punishment from her father, however, who decided to give her the classic grounding and household duties comeuppance for an entirety of six months.

Shaking the thought off of her head, Emma released the key from the ignition after parking her bug in front of their apartment.

* * *

Emma found Mary Margaret in the counter with her hands wrapped in a cup of tea. Her mother had quite the fetish for drinking chamomile before hitting the hay.

"Hi honey," her mom greeted as she entered the front door. Emma gently closed the door behind her and ambled towards her mother to give her a peck on the cheek.

"Hey," she replied.

"Did you find anything good to wear?"

"Ruby did. I'm not going, remember?"

Mary Margaret sighed, placing the cup on the counter and reaching out her hand to hold her daughter's.

"Em, it's prom. It's every girl's dream. It's like a princess ball, except it's set in your school gym. Nevertheless, your friends are going to be there. I want you to go too,"

"But-,"

"You're going to know better this time," the short-haired woman said reassuringly, giving her daughter's hand a light squeeze. "I trust you won't make the same mistake again, hm?"

Emma nodded weakly.

"So will you go?"

"I'll think about it."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who read, favorited and followed the story! I hope you enjoy this new chapter as well! **

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1.**

* * *

Emma carried her tray and placed it on the table where her best friends were seated. She sat on the edge, across Ashley and August. Ruby followed and perched beside her.

"Mom wants me to go to prom," Emma said noncommittally.

"Yeah? I thought she doesn't want you attending school dances anymore?" August asked, putting a handful of fries in his mouth.

"She, uh-she actually never said that. That was just me. I just assumed she wouldn't want me to go after last time's shitfest."

"Emma, that was a year ago. We were seventeen. We had too much fun and you made a mistake," Ashley supplied, "your parents got really angry but that doesn't mean they don't want you to continue living a normal adolescent life."

"They were permanent mistakes, Ash. Unless I'd find a way to magically poof this tattoo away and regenerate my hymen back," Emma chuckled, earning a playful glare from the other blonde. "I just don't want to disappoint them that way again, y'know?"

"That's what you keep saying Ems," Ruby replied with her mouth full. The brunette had gracelessly gobbled her cheeseburger, and had not even bothered to swallow before she spoke again. "We get that, we really do. But you need to stop isolating yourself! This is our last year and prom will be the last dance we'll have in our near-ending high school life. You need to make the most out of it."

"But what if I do something crazy again?" the blonde muttered, poking at her spaghetti.

"If you truly learned from your mistake then I'm sure that you wouldn't repeat it, or even do anything remotely close to what would ultimately disappoint your parents. And if you behave, you'll get their trust back," Ashley said matter-of-factly. August nodded at that, blissfully unaware of the ketchup smudge on his cheek.

Emma pursed her lips and nodded sheepishly.

"So you're going then?" Ruby asked with a shit-eating grin dancing on her lips.

"C'mon Ems, you've missed out on too much already. You can't miss prom," Ashley sort-of whined.

The blonde didn't reply but the the look on Ruby's face suggests as though she had already won. Emma, though, understood why her friends were uber ecstatic with her reconsideration. After the ordeal that went down on the last school event that she'd gone to, the blonde had passed on attending any, if not all, of the school events that followed. But after her friends' enlightening talk, Emma found herself in metanoia. She tried to fight the smile that threatened to spread on her lips. Unfortunately, her efforts were to no avail.

Emma sighed. "I guess I have to find a dress first."

* * *

Graham didn't need a hunter's auditory senses to hear what Emma and her friends were talking about. He was absolutely sure that it had to do with prom. It was evident in the way Ruby Lucas' eyes glimmered as she talked. The girl has had a penchant for school dances ever since the first one they've attended.

"What are you gaping at, mate?" a funky looking boy queried as he sat across him. With his leathery outfit and carefully sculpted coiffure, the lad looked like a punk. Fortunately for him, he knew how to carry his style, advantageously being dubbed as Storybrooke High School's resident bad boy heartthrob.

"Something wrong with your ears there, mate?" the boy asked again but Graham was hearing none of it. He was too focused on eavesdropping at the blonde and her friends that even the boy in front of him seemed invisible.

_"So you're going then?"_ Graham heard the brunette say from their table. At this, Graham's lips curved into a smile. His prying eyes turned to the blonde, waiting for her response. He has had a crush on Emma ever since she played the role of the Swan Princess when they were in first grade. And ever since then, he has been itching to be the leading man of her life. Unfortunately for Graham, Emma only treated him as a friend and made sure he got the message by constantly rejecting his offers on being her date to social events. This time, however, he was sure he would have his chance.

The young man seated across him furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Being one of Graham's friends, he was aware that the boy had tendencies of being an oddball. And seeing the lad with scruffy hair grinning like an idiot for no apparent reason made him quite certain of the issue. It was then, however, when Graham's moronic smile turned into an evil grin that the boy decided to slap the senses back into him.

"Dammit Killian! What the hell was that for?" Graham half-yelled, rubbing his now reddened cheek.

"You were scaring the shit out of me mate! You looked like the devil possessed you or something," Killian replied, raising his hands in defense as Graham smacked him hard on the shoulder. "Why the heck were you smiling anyway?"

"It's uh-," he began to say, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He didn't want Killian to know, partly because he was embarrassed at being caught gaping but also because he was afraid that Killian would swoop in the picture. Graham knew that the punk had also been harboring feelings for the blonde ever since she had broken up with her boyfriend. So he hesitated, but then gave in to the other lad's scrutinizing look. He sighed in defeat and mumbled, "Emma's going to prom."

Killian's eyes widened at his friend's revelation. He's heard a lot of news that day, but that one was definitely big. At least it was for him. "Really? I thought the girl's been celibate with social events ever since last year's dance?"

Graham only nodded his head as a response and then puckered his lips to point at the table across theirs. Killian turned around to see Emma and her friends having a serious conversation.

"Ah...so you've been eavesdropping this whole time e?"

"Yeah."

"Planning on asking her out?"

"Yeah," Graham said, narrowing his eyes to watch as an evil smirk graced upon his friend's face. He raised a brow, "Are you going to be a competition?"

"Oh no. Not all buddy," he replied innocently.

Graham knew that was a lie.

* * *

Emma emerged from the locker room in a white tank top and skimpy green shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail, with a few loose strands tucked behind her ears. It was gym class, and they were to play basketball that afternoon. Practically throwing her bag onto the bleachers, she jogged to where the other girls stood. In the middle was a dwarfish middle-aged man clad in a black polo shirt and jeans with a whistle around his neck and a basketball on his hand. Out of class, the students called him Grumpy, but in the faculty room and during P.E., he was known as Sir Leroy.

"Okay ladies, I'll be choosing two of you to be captain of each team," he said as he took a quick glance at each student, smirking when he had come to a decision. "Greene and Nolan."

Emma took a step forward and so did a shorter blonde girl. Her name was Fay but she had always been called by her surname: Greene.

Sir Leroy then called each student one by one and assigned them to their respective teams. Seven girls, including Ruby and Ashley, belonged to Emma's team. Another seven, with Belle and a girl named Aurora, were assigned to Greene's. Their match was a tight one as both teams had their own advantages: Ruby was fast, Emma had good aim, and Ashley made great passes and steals. Belle was good in defense, Aurora shot consecutive three points, and Greene was good in rebounding.

There were only a few minutes left on the clock and the game had become so intense that even Sir Leroy stood up in anticipation.

"Ruby!" Ashley yelled as she dribbled the ball and threw it onto the brunette's direction. "Catch!"

The brunette side stepped from her opponent's block and received the ball with ease, running and dribbling towards the net. The girl had her head completely in the game, until Greene decided to switch places with Belle, leaving her to block -and thoroughly distract- Ruby.

"Hi," the brownhaired girl breathed out, flashing a smile and leaving Ruby disoriented enough for Aurora to swipe the ball from her.

"Rubes!" Emma exclaimed, running as fast as she could to catch up with Aurora who was on her way to shooting another three. The blonde was too late, however. Aurora had already shot the ball in the basket and the buzzer had gone off, ending the game 76-78 in Greene's team's favor.

"Nice one Rubes," Emma huffed.

"Well it wasn't my fault! Belle distracted me. No fair," the brunette whined.

"I did no such thing," Belle chuckled, ambling towards Ruby and giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

That was more than enough to silence the brunette, leaving the other girls snorting as her face turned redder than it already was.

* * *

"Great game, Nolan," Greene acknowledged as the girls returned to the locker room, their faces flushed and dripping with sweat.

"Yeah. You too, Greene," Emma replied.

The two blondes ambled slowly, while Ruby and Belle sat down on the wooden long chairs in the middle of the lockers, eyes locked onto each other and hands intertwined.

"Uhm, Ems?" The blonde looked ahead to see Ashley stopping short at her locker and pointing at a piece of paper taped onto it. Emma furrowed her brows, striding towards Ashley and pulling the small parchment from her locker door. It was a note for her, sent by a "secret admirer". She elevated the paper a little bit closer to her eyes, trying to make out the words that were untidily scribbled.

"What does it say?" Ruby inquired.

Emma glanced around to see the other girls looking at her with questioning eyes.

She looked back down on the note that was on her hand. Clearing her throat, she read aloud:

**_ "A little birdie told me that you were planning on going to prom. I hope you wouldn't change your mind because I honestly wouldn't bother going if you wouldn't be there."_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1.**

* * *

"Do you have any idea who could have written that?" Emma asked as she, along with her friends, walked out of the gym and onto their next class.

"Not really. No," Ashley replied, shaking her head.

Emma thought long and hard. She only truly had one admirer and that wasn't a secret: Graham Humbert. She shook her head, it couldn't be Graham. The boy knew all too well that they were just friends. And besides, he wouldn't resort into making "secret admirer" notes. He'd been there, he'd done that and he had been rejected time and again.

"It could be Neal," Ruby suggested.

Ashley whipped her head towards the brunette's direction, "That's crazy."

"What's so crazy about that?"

"Neal is dating Tamara, isn't he?"

"What? No! Not anymore, at least. Haven't you heard? They broke up a week ago. Tamara left him for Greg," Ruby shared. Ashley stared wide-eyed at her friend. Emma did too. Clearly, the two had been unaware of the latest news. But why would they bother? Emma had no intentions on knowing her ex-boyfriend's activities. She had no more cares whatsoever for the guy who took her virtue and then left her a week later for a girl who just transferred to town.

Emma gritted her teeth. It couldn't be Neal, she contemplated.

"Maybe he thought he could ask you out again since-," Ruby began to say but Ashley cut her off with a deathly glare. The other blonde had noticed the change in Emma's expression and knew immediately that she was uncomfortable with the topic.

Ruby pursed her lip as she realized her fault. "Sorry Ems," she mumbled.

"It's okay."

* * *

Emma made her way towards her seat at the left side corner of the room. Slumping down on her chair, the blonde girl wrapped her head on who her secret admirer could be. She knew a lot of students in school which made it even more difficult for her to figure out who this said fan was. Emma scratched her head, completely bothered —not at the thought that she had an admirer; she was actually pretty flattered that she had one besides Graham (if it wasn't him in the first place). No, she was concerned because this said devotee of hers knew that she had plans on going to prom. Emma only shared those plans that morning and merely with her closest friends which brought her to conclude that either one of her lunch buddies opened their fat mouths or this admirer had been stalking her.

"Miss Nolan?"

"Huh?" Emma looked up. She had been so immersed in figuring out who this person was that she had not noticed her English teacher walk in to class. She looked around and realized that she was the only one remaining seated. She smiled sheepishly as she stood and as soon as she did; their English teacher began their prayer.

"How long was I in a trance?" she whispered to the boy beside her, a black haired fellow named Eric.

"Long enough for you to get her attention," he muttered back with a grin.

Miss Astrid, their English teacher, had a thing for starting her classes with a prayer. The sparsely woman was profoundly religious, wearing a cross around her neck as though she was a nun and not an educator.

"Alright students, take your seats," the woman said. "Now open your books to chapter seven, we will be talking about one of the greatest writers in history."

"Suzanne Collins?" chimed a blonde girl from the middle of the class.

"No, Kathryn," Miss Astrid rolled her eyes, "I'm talking about William Shakespeare."

* * *

The library was quiet that afternoon. But Emma wouldn't know what the library was usually like because she'd never been to it –until now. Miss Astrid had the entire class go to the library with her for their research on William Shakespeare. Why the woman insisted on bringing them there instead of the computer room, Emma had no clue –just like she had no idea on where to begin searching for books of Shakespeare's works. It was a good thing then that Belle, her friend and Ruby's puppy love, was a volunteer at the library. Looking down on her watch, Emma was fairly certain that Belle was there somewhere as well. She knew the girl's schedule after all, what with Ruby blabbering about her nonstop. The girl knew the library like it was a map she had screen captured on her brain, and that was something that Emma would not mind taking advantage of.

She ambled towards the counter where the librarian was.

"Excuse me ma'am," she said, clearing her throat. The librarian was an old, plump woman with glasses sitting barely on the bridge of her nose. She looked at the blonde girl and raised a brow.

"Uhm, do you know where I could find Belle?" Emma asked. The woman didn't respond. Instead, she dropped her hand on the bell on the counter before continuing on her work. The bell made a _ding _sound and in an instant, a perky brown haired girl came rushing towards them.

"Emma?"

"Hi Belle," the blonde grinned.

"Fancy seeing you here," she chuckled.

"I'm having English with Miss Astrid," Emma explained. "I uh –asked for you because I needed help."

"Oh? What can I do for you then?"

"Could you tell me where I could find Shakespeare's works? A short poem would be okay," Emma replied.

"Oh," Belle said, her eyebrows knitting as if Emma had just asked her a question with an obvious answer. "Follow me."

The blonde ambled behind her friend, stopping when they've reached a massive shelf with dusty, worn-out books. Beside the shelf was a long table where some of Emma's classmates sat, already starting on their task.

"These are works from the renaissance period. I'm sure you'll find a book containing Shakespeare's poems or sonnets," Belle shared.

"Thanks Belle," Emma said.

"Anytime,"

As soon as Belle left, Emma scurried onto the books on the shelf, hoping to find a massive hardback with the words "SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS" etched on it. Luckily, she found one after minutes of searching. It was, just as she'd hope, a rather large book entitled "Poems and Sonnets by William Shakespeare". She grabbed it without hesitation. And then she stopped, almost dropping the heavy book at the sight that caught her eyes.

Through the space where the book that she held previously sat, Emma saw a face of a girl she was sure she knew. The girl must have noticed the blonde looking at her because she looked back. And in that moment, Emma felt as though she'd forgotten how to breathe, suddenly drowning in those familiar brown eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello dears! Thank you so much for your support. Again, I would like to express my gratitude to those who read, followed, reviewed and added this story to their favorites. Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to DriveOverForce. Thank you for the lovely PM!**

**I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are very much welcome :) **

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1.**

* * *

Regina's face felt as though it had been bathed in wet cement and then dried at the sight that made her eyes bulge out of their sockets. Her hands clenched into fists and her perfectly manicured nails dug hard onto her palms. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had been holding her breath because through the space where a rather large book previously sat was a blonde girl with the most familiar green eyes. Regina knew the girl, of course. And she knew her all too well.

The girl was Emma Nolan. But Regina liked to call her Emma Swan, after the blonde's role, The Swan Princess, when they had their school play in first grade.

"Do I know you?" Emma asked. It was then that Regina realized that she had been completely stupefied to the point that she had not even blinked since laying eyes on the girl. She mentally kicked herself in the shin before stiffly sauntering back to her friend, not even bothering to reply to Emma.

"Why the hell do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Regina's friend asked as she arrived at their table.

"Emma," the brunette replied, catching her breath as she felt her heart palpitating.

"Yes, Emma Nolan is the idiot you've been crushing on since she moved to town," Kathryn drawled. "What about her?"

"I saw her. And she, –she looked at me," Regina said, trying to regain her composure. She was never like that. She was always headstrong and confident. Yet somehow, the blonde who didn't even realize that Regina had been in love with her since forever had that effect on her.

"She did?" Kathryn asked, her eyes growing larger. "Did you look back?"

"I did," the blonde grinned, the corners of her mouth reaching ear to ear. Kathryn was well aware that Regina had been crushing on Emma since they were still young but had never acted upon it. It surprised her now that Regina had an actual face-to-face experience with Emma. She chuckled internally at how utterly adorable her friend looked.

"_Seriously?_"

"Yes, seriously," the brunette replied, her eyes just as disbelieving as her friend's. "She stared at me, Kathryn. She gaped at me, as a matter of fact," she looked down, trying to hide the blush tinting on her cheeks. "She's never even looked at me before."

"You must have been really happy then,"

She scoffed. But then she realized, who was she kidding? She wasn't just happy about what happened. She was _ecstatic._

"Honestly, Kathryn," she began, trying sound as serious as possible but only ended up half-squealing her next words, "I think my heart exploded in my chest."

* * *

Emma drove her bug to school the following morning, still completely bothered by the fact that she saw that familiar girl the day before. She had not talked to anyone about it because she thought it didn't matter –not until late last night when she realized that the girl she had the pleasure of gaping at in the library was none other than Regina Mills. She felt as though her mind had been hotwired as she smacked herself in the forehead for being such an idiot. How could she not have recognized Regina when most parts of her childhood had been spent picking flowers for the girl?

Her mind was too engrossed at the thought of her stupidity that she had forgotten that she was driving, almost running over a scruffy looking boy.

"What the hell!" The boy yelled, his Irish accent ringing in Emma's ear as she furiously slammed on the breaks.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to –are you alright?" Emma said frantically.

"Hi," was all she got in response. She looked up to see who she almost hit. It was Graham.

"Oh, hi Graham," Emma replied, still trying to catch her breath. It seemed like she was more worried at running over the boy than the boy was for almost getting hit. "I'm sorry. I wasn't concentrating."

"It's okay, I'm fine," Graham said as he moved aside to let Emma park her car. Once the blonde switched off the engine, Graham ambled towards her and helped her with her things.

"It's okay Graham, I got it."

Emma saw the change in Graham's expression. She knew he felt the pang of rejection again but she'd rather be direct about it than let him get his hopes up.

"So…you're going to prom, right?" he asked. Emma's brows shot up to her hairline.

"How did you know about that?"

"I..uh..I overheard you and your friends talking about it yesterday at lunch."

Emma had a superpower of being able to distinguish whether or not a person was lying, and so far Graham was telling the truth.

"You heard that huh? Yeah. I plan to. I'm not sure yet though. I still don't have a dress," Emma chuckled as both she and Graham ambled towards the school.

"Oh," the boy said, a smile spreading across his lips. "Well, do you have a da—an escort?"

Emma paused and looked at him, hope radiating in his aura. Honestly, Emma didn't think of who her escort would be.

"I was actually planning on going alone," she said. At that, Graham's face fell but in an instant, brightened up again like he was full of determination. Emma was sure he wasn't going to take a no this time.

"Would you at least give a thought about going with someone?" Graham asked.

Emma knew Graham wasn't going to give up. Thinking about it now, Graham was okay. He was a nice boy. And they were friends.

She nodded.

"Thank you," Graham responded before walking towards his room.

* * *

It was lunch time and Emma and her friends were seated on their usual table. The blonde had told her friends about her encounter with Graham that morning but they seemed to have paid more attention to what she shared next.

"NO FRICKIN' WAY!"

"I know right?"

"How come you only told us now?"

"Because I didn't realize it was her until late last night. And we didn't have the same classes a while ago."

"There's this new age device called cell phones Ems. You should've texted."

"I wanted to tell you personally."

"Right, anyway, wow. Regina Mills, huh?"

"Yeah,"

"Didn't you used to give her wildflowers when we were kids?"

"Yup,"

The blonde had told her friends about what happened in the library yesterday afternoon, how they locked gazes until the brunette sauntered away without talking to her. She couldn't help but replay the scene over and over again in her head.

"Someone looks like a love struck puppy," Ruby commented.

"What? No!"

"You totally have a crush on her, Ems," Ashley giggled.

"She's always had a crush on her, Ash. She just forgot. And now, she's beginning to remember," August supplied.

Emma wanted to scowl at her friends and deny it but when she thought about saying no, Regina's face would pop into her mind and invade her every thought. All she could think about was the brunette's eyes and ultimately, those would lead her to memories of her childhood. She recalled playing with the brunette at the park when they were kids. She remembered how she would chase Regina all over the playground, how she would pick flowers and make a crown out of it for her.

"Poor Graham," Ashley chuckled. "Every time he thinks he has a chance, someone else steps in the picture."

"Yes well, this time he's got no chance of who he's up against," Ruby chuckled as she looked at her distracted friend, "oh hey, I just remembered we have Math after this right? Can I copy your notes from last meeting? Mr. Marco might have a surprise quiz," she said, nudging at her friend.

"Uh yeah," the blonde replied, returning from her daydream, "my notebook is in the bag."

Ruby took a green spiraled notebook from the blonde's backpack, her eyes widening as she noticed a piece of paper taped on the cover.

"Your secret admirer left you a note again," she said, placing the notebook on the table for everyone to see. The note read:

_"_**_I hope you turned down Graham_."**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1.**

* * *

Emma and Ruby strolled around the park that Friday afternoon, passing by the same old oak tree for the third time before finally relaxing on the mantle they plopped on the grass. As soon as they had settled themselves, the blonde laid on her back, stretching her arms before intertwining her fingers together and resting the back of her head on her palms. Ruby laid beside her friend, both of them stared up at the cloudy skies, sharing the stillness of their surroundings.

"So…Regina Mills," Ruby said as she turned to face her friend, breaking off their silence.

"What about her?"

"What's not about her?" Ruby chuckled, "you've been talking about the girl nonstop since yesterday. You're really crushing on her again, aren't you?"

Emma couldn't help but blush at that. It was true. She had been gushing about Regina since their meeting at the library a couple of days ago and it was very much observable the way her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink whenever she did.

"Yeah, I guess," Emma mumbled in a voice that was seemingly quiet for her but loud enough for Ruby to hear and react with an enthusiastic squeal. Emma covered her ears with her hands as she snorted at her friend's response.

The brunette propped herself up with her elbows, resting her chin on her hands and waggling her brows at her friend. A mischievous spark twinkled in her eyes as she suggested, "You should totally ask her out."

"That's insane, Rubes. I hardly know her."

"You've had a romantic childhood together, of course you do."

"We stopped being friends when we were in third grade, remember?"

"Ah yes, the break-up," Ruby sighed dramatically, "but seriously though Ems, you have to make a move. I mean, senior year is going to be over soon. We're going off to college and you might never see her again."

Ruby had a point there. As much as Emma wanted to cower and admire Regina Mills from a safe distance, she also wanted to have an actual conversation with the girl and maybe, with luck, rekindle their friendship.

"What do I do then? Walk towards her at school and ask her on a date?"

"No you silly swan, unless you wanna be pegged as a creep. You start with the basics," Ruby replied matter-of-factly.

"Basics? Enlighten me on this doctor love," Emma chuckled.

"It's easy; you start with a simple 'hi'."

* * *

Ruby had left Emma a few hours ago, after receiving a text message from her grandmother stating that she was needed at the diner. The brunette, sensing that her friend wanted to stay at the park and have some time alone, opted to walk even when the blonde had offered to drive her to her destination.

"I'll be okay. It's not that far anyway," Ruby said, waving off her hand to dismiss her friend's offer. Emma merely smiled and bade her friend goodbye before she slumped back on the mantle.

The afternoon weather was a perfect match to Emma's lazy mood. Her eyes fluttered at the little streaks of sunlight peaking from behind the clouds and her skin tingled from the soft warm breeze. The blonde covered her mouth as she yawned, slowly closing her eyes and letting slumber take over her. It was then when she had felt her consciousness begin to slip away that something hard hit her square on the torso, making her snap her eyes open and lunge forward to a sitting position. The impact of whatever had hit her knocked the air right from her lungs. Clutching her chest, Emma tried to even her breaths, counting backwards from ten to prevent her from assaulting whoever it was that disturbed her peace. As soon as the oxygen had circulated back in her system, the blonde began to search for the suspect. Her eyes then locked onto a young man, running towards her with the most apologetic expression. He stopped short however when he realized who it was he had hit. And Emma, upon seeing the boy who was approaching him, tensed her jaw.

_Shit. _

The young man hesitated at first, but then ambled towards Emma, his hand scratching the back of his neck as he sheepishly apologized.

"I –uh, sorry about that."

Emma felt her heart pounding in her chest, anger and irritation etched upon her face.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied through gritted teeth.

"It's uh, nice to see you," he said. "You look really g –,"

Emma's gaze hardened at the young man in front of her. She didn't want to talk to him: the boy who took everything from her and then left her like she was trash. She held up a hand to signal him to stop speaking.

"Just…don't. Okay?"

"Em-,"

"Neal, please just leave me alone," she said, trying her best to keep her composure even when her body was urging her to connect her right fist with his nose. Knowing that it was for the best, Neal walked away.

* * *

The windows theme played as soon as Emma's laptop came to life. She had just gotten home from the park and had immediately went to her room and turned the gadget on. Her parents weren't home yet, which was better than if they already were since they'd probably ask how her day went. Judging from the yells and curses she had been uttering since she came in the front door, one could say that the blonde's day had been completely ruined. It had been, to be honest. Of all the ways to end her afternoon, she did not expect it to be by getting hit with a soccer ball –which in all convenience, was kicked by her ex-boyfriend. Things got worse, too, when her old flame came and talked to her instead of simply apologizing. His mere presence brought about so much hatred and loathing that Emma had to force herself to behave and act civil when all she wanted to do was punch him in the face. So yes, her day ended dreadfully.

As soon as she finished changing, Emma slumped on her bed, sitting in Indian position and facing her laptop. She clicked on Chrome and typed in Facebook, hoping to clear her mind of Neal and their encounter at the park with petty things she'd see on the internet. What she first saw on her screen, however, was not petty at all. Yet it was more than enough for her to forget about what happened a while ago. She blinked once, twice, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. She looked at the little icon with a green circle beside it on the right column of the page, indicating that this person was online. Emma's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know they were friends on Facebook. But she was glad that they were.

The blonde held her breath as she moved the touchpad, making the cursor hover above the icon, and thinking twice before she finally clicked it. She stared at the screen, the empty chatbox looking right back at her, making her contemplate on whether she wanted to do this or not. It took her minutes before she finally concluded she was going to take the risk and a few more to muster up all of her strength and type in what she wanted to say.

Emma knew this was either going to make or break things. But Ruby was right, senior year was going to end soon and she needed to make a move. So thinking, _fuck this, _Emma moved her touchpad and clicked on the sent icon. She stared blankly at what she wrote. It was a start, simple and basic. It read:

**Emma Nolan: Hi.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Emma Nolan: Hi**_

The brunette blinked, twice, thrice, four times. She was certain that she was just hallucinating, that whatever she was seeing was simply some sort of trick that her eyes were playing on her. Yet, no matter how many times her eyes closed and opened, the chat box never disappeared and on it was a simple two-letter word that was so basic yet so completely heart-pounding as it came from the one person she never expected it would come from.

Her heart felt like it was about to explode then, as she realized that she wasn't dreaming. _Emma Nolan had messaged her. _

Quickly, she grabbed her cellular from her desk and speed dialed her best friend.

"AHHHHHH!" She squealed as the other line picked up.

"_Jesus Christ Regina! What the hell is wrong with you?!" _

"Kathryn I –she…this…she just –I," Regina fumbled. With only those incoherent words to say, Kathryn already had a clue as to what the topic was about.

Kathryn Midas was Regina's best friend. She knew everything about the girl. And Regina being unable to form rational sentences only meant that whatever they were going to talk about had something to do with a certain blonde.

"_Okay honey, calm your tits. What happened?"_

"Emma messaged me on facebook," the brunette panted, like she had just finished sprinting a hundred miles.

"_Oh my god!" _Kathryn shrieked.

"I know!"

"_What did she say?"_

"Well she –uh, she said…hi," the brunette replied, her cheeks painting a light shade of pink.

Emma Nolan had always had that effect on her. Ever since they were children, Regina had found the blonde girl enchantingly beautiful. She remembered running down the stairs of their mansion whenever someone would knock on their front door, knowing it was Emma. She remembered running around the playground with the other girl chasing her and the flowers that the blonde would pick and turn into crowns for her. Just the thought of that wonderful childhood made her heart swell. And she knew that those early days were amazing because Emma was in it. Ever since then, she knew that the butterflies residing in her stomach would always belong to the blonde.

She looked at the screen of her laptop, feeling those flying critters flutter so uncontrollably within her again.

"_And what did you say in return?"_

"I –I didn't say anything," the brunette replied sheepishly.

Kathryn only snorted at her friend; Regina confident headstrong Mills, tamed and completely at a loss for words when confronted with Emma Nolan.

"_And how long have you kept her waiting?"_

"I don't know. Fifteen minutes, maybe?" she replied, chewing on her bottom lip as she continued to stare at the chat box.

"_What?! Well say something!" _Kathryn said from the other line. It was pretty obvious that Kathryn wanted her friend to have an actual conversation with her crush, even if it was just on chat.

"What should I respond with?" the brunette asked.

"_You say 'hey' or 'hello'. Jeez Regina, you sound like you've never talked to anyone before," _the blonde chuckled.

"Well dear, I apologize if I'm worried that I might say something wrong and scare her away," she scowled.

"_Well dear, the more time you waste on not replying sort of suggests that you don't want to talk to her,"_

"But I do,"

"_Then say something already!" _

The brunette stared at the chat box, contemplating on what she should say. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, she typed in "hello" and clicked the send button. Looking back at the screen, she felt her heart sink at the realization.

She was too late.

**Emma Nolan: Hi**

_**Emma Nolan has logged out.**_

Regina Mills: Hello.

* * *

"She just seenzoned me Rubes," the blonde said.

It was a typical Saturday afternoon and Emma and Ashley were at the diner. Ruby had her hands full, dashing around the place and handing customers their orders but she heard what her friend had said, nonetheless.

"Maybe she was busy," the brunette suggested, not even looking at her friend as she placed a tray of iced teas on a table.

"Yeah, she could've been doing something important that she forgot to reply to you," Ashley supplied.

Emma pursed her lips. She had waited for five fair minutes until Facebook notified her that Regina had seen her message. Her heart pounded at her chest at that fact. She stared at her laptop for the next ten minutes, waiting for the brunette to respond. But it never came. Anxiety took over the blonde then, planting scenarios in her head wherein Regina scoffed at her message and did not even bother to reply. It scared the wits out of the blonde, that maybe Regina Mills didn't remember her. Or if she did, did not want to talk to her. And maybe it was that which ultimately led Emma to sign out before she could make a bigger fool of herself and send another message to the girl.

"Maybe she just didn't wanna talk to me," Emma frowned.

It was true. Maybe Regina didn't want to talk to Emma. The blonde had no clue why, but maybe that was the reason. The blonde sighed, recalling what had happened when they were around eight years old. She was on the mansion porch, happily waiting for Regina when she came out of the door with a pout on her face. 'I can't be friends with you anymore,' she said. That was Emma's first heart break and although she was only a kid, it had actually hurt her. She didn't understand why Regina said that though, and she never dared asked why, afraid that the other girl would say something that would break her heart even more. Maybe, Emma thought, whatever Regina's reason was for ending their friendship when they were children was the same as why she wouldn't want to talk to her now. If only Emma knew what it was, maybe she'd understand what was wrong.

"Don't think like that Ems," Ashley said, "maybe she just doesn't remember you."

"Well then make her remember," Ruby added, winking at Emma as she did so.

* * *

Emma ambled towards her car which was parked across the diner. As she strode towards her vehicle, she felt a tug at her gut, a signal that she was being watched. Turning back, she saw a young man walking towards her, all dressed in black leather like he was a metal rockstar of some sort.

"Killian," the blonde addressed as the boy neared her.

"Hello Swan," he replied.

The boy had always called him that, after her role at a play when they were in first grade.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to ask you something," the boy said, leaning on the driver side's door, effectively blocking Emma from entering her car.

"Go on then," the blonde said exasperatedly.

"Be my date to prom."

"Well that sounded an awful lot like a demand rather than a question."

"C'mon Swan, you know you want to," he said, leaning forward so that his face was inches away from Emma's.

Emma's brows rose to her hairline.

"Oh get over yourself, Killian," Emma exclaimed, shoving the boy hard enough to make him move from his position. The blonde immediately opened the door and entered her car, sticking the key in the ignition and starting the engine.

"You'll go with me to prom, Swan," Killian promised, cockiness oozing over his every word, "and it'll be because you want me."

"In your dreams pal," Emma scoffed before slamming her feet on the pedal and driving home.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello dearies! Thank you for sticking with this story, for reading, reviewing, following and adding it to your favorites. I hope you stay with this until the end. **

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1. **

* * *

"Hey mom," Emma greeted as she entered their apartment.

Mary Margaret was seated on one of the high chairs by the counter, with a cup of tea on her right hand and a novel on her left. Placing down the book on the wooden countertop, she smiled softly and greeted back, "Hello honey,"

"Where's dad?"

"Still at the station. He's working extra hours today," the woman replied.

Emma shrugged at her mother's response. She was used to David working late during the weekends. Their town might be small, but there were still a lot of delinquents that needed to be dealt with and David was doing a mighty fine job at being Sheriff. The blonde ambled towards where her mother sat and placed a light kiss on her cheek before sauntering off to her bedroom.

As soon as Emma had changed into more comfortable clothes, she sprawled on her bed and opened her laptop. Clicking Chrome, the screen immediately displayed the previous tabs she had visited, Facebook being one of them. It wasn't until the page had fully loaded that Emma apprehended the blue tab on the lower part of the screen with a flashing red icon, indicating an unread message.

She held her breath as she realized who the message was from. She let her fingers glide on the touchpad, letting the cursor hover above that blue tab, uncertain as to whether or not she was going to read what the message contained.

_Ah fuck it, _Emma thought, clicking the tab in a hurry and preparing for the worst. The message, however, was nothing remotely close to what Emma expected. The blonde had thought it was a 'who are you?' or maybe a 'do I know you?'. Instead, the message read:

**Regina Mills: Hello**

Emma's lips quirked up into a smile. _Maybe Regina did remember her._ Emma looked at the right side of the screen, where the names of the people who were online were. She exhaled when she saw that there was no green dot beside the brunette's name, indicating that she was offline. It gave Emma more courage to write what she wanted to say since Regina wouldn't be able to read whatever she was about to write immediately. Taking a breath, the blonde typed in:

_Emma Nolan: Hey again. I'm so happy you replied. For a moment there I thought you forgot about me._

Emma sent the message, before minimizing the tab. She grinned, completely certain that Regina would not be able to respond to her message instantly. She was, however, completely unaware that the brunette was also on Facebook, only appearing offline because she had disabled the chat application. Emma's eyes widened then, and her breath stuck on her throat as a flashing red icon appeared on the brunette's chat box, symbolizing a response.

**Regina Mills: Hello again. I remember you very well Emma.**

The blonde felt her cheeks burn at the girl's answer. She smiled, feeling those bottled butterflies flutter wildly on her stomach again. She thought long and hard on what her reply would be. But then she realized that she didn't want anything to be perfect. She wanted to be herself and let Regina reminisce on their childhood, and remember her as the perky little blonde girl she always had been. Thus, Emma went with what her gut told her to say, and went on with the flow of their conversation.

_Emma Nolan: Yeah. We used to play together when we were kids_

**Regina Mills: Yes, we did. I remember. We used to chase each other on the playgrounds.**

_Emma Nolan: Yup, that's right. Wow. I never thought you'd remember me. _

**Regina Mills: I actually never forgot.**

* * *

Emma swallowed thickly as she read the brunette's response over and over again. Her lips quirked up into a full blown smile, the corners reaching from ear to ear.

_Emma Nolan: I'm glad. It's just that we seem like we never knew each other when we're at school._

**Regina Mills: Maybe it's because we've never talked personally before.**

_Emma Nolan: Are you saying you want to talk to me now?_

**Regina Mills: I'm not going to start our conversation if that is what you're implying.**

_Emma Nolan: I'll say 'hi' to you when we see each other then. But you have to promise you'll say it back._

**Regina Mills: I will…assuming you know where to find me ;)**

* * *

Emma snorted. Regina was still the same girl she knew when they were little; just as demanding yet even more beautiful. She stared at the winking emoticon the brunette used and felt her heart pound at her chest.

_Emma Nolan: You never knew how to hide very well even when we were little. I'll find you. _

**Regina Mills: I'll look forward to it, then. **

_Emma Nolan: Great. I'll see you on Monday then._

**Regina Mills: Alright. Good night Emma. **

_Emma Nolan: Good night Regina._

* * *

Emma stared at the screen, her heart still beating violently at her chest. She closed her laptop gently and laid back on her bed with an audible sigh. She couldn't wipe off the smile on her face. She hadn't felt this giddy since Neal and it felt good. It felt really good to have someone and something to be excited about again. She closed her eyes, imagining how her first interaction with Regina would unfold. And for the first time in her entire life, Emma couldn't wait for Monday.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer in Chapter 1.**_

* * *

Monday came and Regina was all too excited at the prospect of meeting a certain blonde. Too excited, that she took longer in preparing herself than she had anticipated. Her room was a mess, clothes scattered all around as the brunette girl grabbed and threw articles of clothing in trying to decide on what she was going to wear. _This is stupid, _she thought, _it's not like we're going out on a date. _But that didn't stop Regina from wanting to look her best. Emma Nolan was going to say 'hi' to her and she'd be damned if she looked like it wasn't something special.

"What is taking you so long?" Kathryn stopped by the door as she entered her friend's room. Her eyes grew large as she took in the sight before her. Regina was plopped on the bed, her hands on her eyes. Her room was a complete mess. And her closet looked as if a storm had dropped by in it. "What the hell happened here?"

"What am I supposed to wear?" the brunette groaned. Kathryn tried her best to stifle her laugh but it came out anyway, and it reverberated all around the room. Regina sat up, glaring at her friend. "Oh ha ha,"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I have never seen you all worked up like this before," Kathryn replied as she sat beside her friend.

Regina sighed, "I know that I look like a fool right now Kat, but you have to help me find something decent to wear."

Kathryn chuckled before responding, "alright."

* * *

Cora greeted the girls as they descended from the stairs.

"What took you so long dear?" Cora asked her daughter.

"Fashion crisis," Kathryn chuckled, answering for her friend. At this, Cora raised a brow at her daughter.

"And why were you having trouble in choosing what to wear? Is something special going to happen today?"

_Yes, _Regina wanted to answer but knew that if she did, her mother would let her sit down for an inquisition.

"No, I just want to look my best, that's all," Regina lied. She had gotten so used to lying to her mother that it felt so natural to her. Cora looked at her daughter then, as if weighing her answer. The young brunette tried her best not to wince, keeping her expression as stoic as possible.

"Alright, well, have a good day at school," Cora said before placing a kiss on her daughter's cheek.

* * *

Regina stared at the wall clock situated on top of the door. She had been looking at the damn thing for minutes now, silently willing it to move faster –as if she could. It had been ticking quite sluggishly, too slow for Regina's liking. The day was almost over and she had seen so many people –but still no Emma. She grunted, mentally berating herself for being too expectant. She was Regina Mills, for christ's sake! She was supposed to be serious and mature. And here she was now, acting so laughably childish for something so shallow, for a little 'hi' that she may or may not even receive from a girl. Regina exhaled a breath, _except this girl wasn't just any other girl. _

"Psst,"

Regina glanced behind her. It was her friend, Greene.

"Robin keeps staring at you," the blonde girl whispered.

Regina's eyes searched the room until it landed right across her to where a masculine young man with dirty blonde hair was smiling at her. His dimples showed as his smile stretched and his eyes shimmered with pure wonder at the brunette.

"I think he likes you," Greene murmured.

Regina looked back at the boy as he shyly waved his hand. She didn't wave back. Instead, she arched an eyebrow and gave him a stern look, as if saying _not a chance. _

"Hey, don't be rude," Greene said but it only fell upon deaf ears. Regina wasn't being rude. In fact, she was being directly honest, no matter how harsh it was. One look at the boy and she immediately knew that she didn't like him and she was in no business in making him believe otherwise.

It was then that the bell rang and Regina scurried outside the room. That was her final class for that day, which meant that Emma would most likely show up within these few minutes. And so she waited, moving from one place to another, places she usually stayed in and places she was most often seen in. But still no Emma. She ambled towards the gym and then the hallways, the cafeteria and finally, the parking lot. Still, no Emma.

Regina exhaled a breath. _Maybe her chat with the blonde never happened. Maybe she just imagined the whole thing, _Regina thought as she sighed in defeat. She felt her heart sink to the ground as her excitement popped like a balloon in her face. Emma wasn't going to find her. She wasn't going to say 'hi' and this wasn't going to be a magical day.

Sauntering towards her Benz, Regina told herself never to act this way again. She promised herself that she would never ever be this hopeful for something –and something so shallow. She bit her bottom lip; she must have looked so pathetic, in choosing what to wear, staring at wall clocks and willing them to move faster, walking around the school in the hopes of finding a blonde girl only to what? Say hi? How laughable she must've have been.

Regina fished out her car keys from her bag as she strode to the driver's side of her Benz. She stopped short, however, when she noticed handpicked wildflowers on her car's hood.

"_Hi_,"

* * *

"Hi," Emma whispered from behind the brunette. She had been waiting all day to say those words and now that she had, she felt like she couldn't breathe. This was the very first time in a long while that she had personally talked to Regina. And while she was hoping that they could just skip the formalities, she knew that getting to know each other would most likely be for the best. Regina turned around then, her eyes fixed on Emma's.

"You're supposed to say it back, y'know," Emma chuckled shakily.

"Oh right," Regina responded, "hi."

"See? That wasn't so bad," Emma said as she walked closer towards Regina. She could feel Regina's body stiffening because the brunette hadn't moved –or blinked—since she arrived. She exhaled a relieved breath, happy that she wasn't just the only one tensed about this. "I uh –picked wildflowers for you,"

"Yes, you did,"

Emma looked at Regina then, waiting for more words to spill out of the brunette's mouth. She smiled, hoping it may be infectious enough.

"Hey, don't be nervous. I'm not gonna bite," Emma joked.

"I'm sorry," Regina breathed out, incautiously spilling out the next words that made her cheeks turn bright red, "it's just that I've been waiting all day for this."

Emma grinned, her cheeks devouring her eyes as the corners of her mouth tugged from ear to ear. She tilted her head and whispered, "_Me too._"


	9. Chapter 9

"_Me too,"_

Regina's heart beat quickened at Emma's words but surprisingly, they made her anxiousness wane. She smiled, feeling like she was on cloud nine as she took the wildflowers from her car's hood.

"Are you leaving?" Emma asked, shifting from one foot to another, silently hoping that the brunette was going to say no.

"I was going to,"

Scratching the back of her neck sheepishly, the blonde asked, "Maybe you could stick around for a little while?"

Regina eyes sparkled then. She could hear the choir of angels as Emma stepped up closer to her, holding out her palm and gesturing Regina to take it. The blonde tensed, wondering why she did it but did not pull it back. It surprised Emma how she could just be her perky self around the brunette, how she didn't have to think long on what to say and what to do because everything just felt so completely normal.

"We could get ice cream," she suggested.

Regina beamed then, taking Emma's hand and replying, "I would love that."

It amazed Regina how perfectly natural she felt with Emma, how her walls would just dissipate whenever she was with the blonde. It felt like they knew each other, like they understood each other, as if they never fell apart in the first place.

The pair walked from the parking lot to a nearby ice cream shop, ordering take out cones and strolling around their school as they talked about how their lives turned out.

"So you're top 1 in the entire batch, huh?" Emma stated, clearly impressed.

"Yes, I am. And you're on the girl's basketball team,"

"Yeah," the blonde replied, "…you should come to one of my games some time. I mean –our game –the team's game," she stuttered before sighing, "You get the picture."

Regina took herself by surprise then when she downright giggled in front of Emma. She found the blonde girl absolutely adorable, even when her chin was coated with chocolate ice cream. She took the napkin covering her cone and used it to wipe the stain on the blonde's jowl. Emma blushed, slightly taken aback by the brunette's action.

"I will," Regina promised.

The blonde grinned, happy with Regina's response. She finished her ice cream and dabbed the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief before saying, "Great…so uh, can I ask you something?"

"Okay, ask away,"

"Why did you break my heart when we were in third grade?" Emma asked with a blank expression and Regina couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the blonde's words.

"_Break your heart?" _the brunette repeated.

"Yeah, we were eight and you told me you didn't want to be friends with me anymore," she said, laughing as well, "of course you broke my heart."

Regina shook her head, a huge grin still sitting on her face. "It was my mother who told me to end our friendship,"

"Why?"

"Because she thought that you were a bad influence,"

"Why in the world would she think that?"

"Oh I don't know," Regina feigned, "perhaps it was because of that day when I refused to go to school because I wanted to play with you all day."

Emma smiled, remembering that day very well. Regina had pretended to be sick so that her mother would let her stay at home and when Cora had gone off to work; Emma came by to play with her. Of course, Cora discovered the scheme as soon as she arrived home and found her daughter jumping in puddles of mud in their backyard with a blonde little girl.

"Or maybe it was because mother never liked how we used to rescue stray kittens and keep them in my room until she'd force me to take them to the shelter," Regina giggled.

"Yeah, maybe it was also because she hated how we used to always smell like sweat because we kept running around the playground," Emma supplied.

"Or how the house would always be full of wildflowers,"

The pair laughed at those memories, sighing audibly as they remembered their childhood recollections.

"Mother wanted me to focus on my studies but I couldn't because all I could think about was you," Regina sighed. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said and for a moment there, her face was filled with terror. She regained her composure however, when she turned to Emma and saw how the blonde's expression softened. "Yeah," Emma breathed out before Regina cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well, we were children. Playtime was all I could think about then,"

"Well," Emma began to say, "we're all grown up now. And I'm pretty sure you've got your priorities straight, right?"

Regina nodded.

"Then how about we become friends again?"

Regina grinned, smiling from ear to ear, "_Friends,"_

* * *

Emma strode towards the school and into the hallways after she and Regina said their goodbyes. Her smile never left her face. She thanked her lucky stars because she only asked for a simple 'hi' but she received so much more. Honestly, the blonde didn't think any actual conversation between her and the brunette would happen. She imagined herself greeting Regina and Regina greeting her back followed by a moment of awkward silent stares but no, Emma talked to her as if they had been friends their whole lives and Regina responded to her like they had a connection. It was great. It was magical.

"Seems like someone's in a good mood," a boy said as Emma passed by him. He jogged, following her like a puppy.

"I was in a good mood before I saw you," Emma retorted.

"Ah, I assume that you're now in a better mood, eh?"

"Stop flattering yourself, Killian,"

The boy took a huge step forward, standing in front of Emma and effectively blocking her.

"Could you please stop doing that?"

"Say yes, Swan," Killian said, almost like a demand.

"I would rather have my heart ripped out of my chest," Emma snapped.

"Oh don't make this harder for yourself, Swan. You know that you want to go to prom with me,"

Emma snorted, "Please Killian, I wouldn't go anywhere with you even if you were the last boy in the entire universe. So could you please move out of my way?"

Emma pushed Killian and made her way towards her locker, hearing Killian's last words before there was silence.

"You'll choose me Swan,"

Emma shook her head, forgetting about Killian and reliving her encounter with Regina. She knew it would be better to live on the positive things in life and all she knew now was that everything positive about her day revolved around a certain brunette.


End file.
